Gold Coast Dolphins bowlers must fire against Sunshine Coast to keep finals hopes alive

THE Gold Coast Dolphins’ finals aspirations now rest in the hands of their bowlers ahead of a do-or-die second day against Sunshine Coast next weekend.

THE Gold Coast Dolphins’ finals aspirations now rest in the hands of their bowlers ahead of a do-or-die second day against Sunshine Coast next weekend.

Knowing their last three two-day fixtures must produce as many wins to have any chance of finishing inside Queensland Premier Cricket’s top four, the Dolphins are facing extinction if their wicket-takers cannot fire at Buderim on Saturday.

Sent in to bat yesterday, the visitors’ top order appeared to have put them on track for a sizeable total when they reached 2-120, but a haul of 5-74 from Sunshine Coast quick Tom Olsen instead ended their output at 248 in the 76th over.

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While Josh Kann (-14) took the key scalp of reigning Peter Burge Medal winner Alecz Day for a duck, the Scorchers recovered to reach 1-52 by the close.

Opener Kevin Chapman, who starred with 61 alongside all-rounder Liam Hope-Shackley (63), admitted with the Dolphins 12 points adrift of the finals placings, their season was on the line.

Dolphins batsmen Kevin Chapman.

“If we lose this game the writing is on the wall and the season is done and dusted,” Chapman, who now has 268 first grade runs at 29.78 this season, said.

“The first hour is obviously crucial next Saturday. With them chasing 250 and being 1-50, we’re going to need some early wickets but with the Dukes ball and hopefully if we hold our catches we can give it a good nudge.

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“It would’ve been nice to get a few more runs, getting bowled out for 250 isn’t ideal. We had our moments where our batsmen showed good fight and good patience and then we had our little collapse in the middle and it became a bit of a struggle to get to 250 in the end.

“Liam Hope-Shackley batted extremely well and showed great temperament. Him and Mitch Daly (35) had a good partnership (of 84) together, which got us out of a bit of a hole when we lost 4-9. That was a defining partnership.”

Scott Palombo en route to 59 for the Dolphins’ second grade side against Sunshine Coast at Robina yesterday. Picture: Richard Gosling

Having finished ninth and 11th on the two-day ladders in 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively, Chapman said this season would go down as a success for the Dolphins regardless of their finals fate.

“It’s still a massive improvement from the last two or three years in first grade. We’re putting up fights in every game, we’re getting runs consistently and being a very competitive side.

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“A lot of us as a playing group put that down to the influence Jerry (Cassell, sacked coach) had at the start of the year, which was critical for such a young team.”

In second grade, the Dolphins posted 194 at Bill Pippen Oval, thanks largely to knocks from Scott Palombo (59) and Jack Cooper (57).

In reply, Sunshine Coast are 1-68.

The Dolphins’ women cemented their spot in the top four of the Katherine Raymont Shield’s one-day competition today with a four-run win over ladder-leading Sandgate-Redcliffe.

The Coast outfit posted 191 from their 50 overs courtesy of Belinda McDougall’s 84, before Grace Parsons (3-24), Roxanne Thomson (3-41) and Hiruni Don (2-29) combined to dismiss the hosts for 187.